Celebration turns to sorrow as Nelson Mandela is laid to rest

Family members and guests attend former South African president Nelson Mandela’s funeral service in Qunu, South Africa, Sunday.  [PHOTO: AP]

By MACHUA KOINANGE

IN JOHANNESBURG

Millions of South Africans paid tribute to Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela as he was buried Sunday.

The mood throughout the country was sombre. In residential estates, citizens gathered around television sets to follow the final journey of the world’s most celebrated freedom icon in his childhood home of Qunu, 800km East of Johannesburg.

The local media and especially the Sunday papers best captured the sad and inevitable day–the day they would have to say Kwaheri to Mandela.

Many had Mandela’s picture on the front page. The Sunday Sun headline screamed: “Journey’s End”.

Once the state funeral ended, elders from the AbaThembu clan took over and conducted traditional ceremony, which was closed to the public.

In townships around Johannesburg, a gloomy mood suddenly cut shot what has largely been a week of celebration. Earlier in the week, images of people in ANC and South African flag colours dominated the media showing many of them singing liberation songs and dancing. Many mourners said that was the best way to celebrate the passing of the great man.

But yesterday, many came to the painful realisation that Mandela was indeed gone from their midst.

In Mandela’s Soweto home on 8115 Vilakazi Street, mourners gathered at 8pm on Saturday night for a nightlong vigil that was filled with candles and singing. By morning most of them left to watch the broadcast.

The after effects of the night vigil were evident with strewn papers, candles and hundreds of flowers and written messages of tribute.

Bonakele Xaba spent the night outside the Mandela house and was still outside the house in the morning inebriated and singing. He described the death of Mandela as a huge loss to the country.

He told The Standard: “He was a good humble man who gave us our freedom. He was the father of our nation. I don’t like Zuma. I would rather we brought back Thabo Mbeki.”

Most of the highways had intermittent traffic and most businesses were closed to pay tribute to Mandela. In some of the highways accustomed to heavy traffic during the day, the scene was much different with minimal cars on the road.

Along Vilakazi Street, police vehicles could be seen all along the street with most of the police seated in their vehicles or patrolling the quiet street. There were few people and little incidents.

A LOVE HEART

A street cleaner was busy clearing the debris from last night’s vigil. Families brought their children and took pictures next to a giant Mandela mural planted on the wall.

Nombulelo Broro brought her six-year-old daughter, Lethlogonolo to the house. She inscribed the words “RIP” with a love heart on the mural. There were flowers, many of them wilting at the corner of the entrance to the Mandela house, which is now a museum.

Gein Sawuka, 24, took pictures of the house, imbuing himself with the gloom that hovered around the street. “I am wishing Mandela farewell, I thank him for everything he has done for us…I am so touched by his death. But one thing I am sure about is that he was a person who was humble, cool calm and collected.”

There were few patrons in the restaurants that have sprouted along the street to cater for tourists visiting the house.

Dali Ndiga, a hawker selling T-shirts and ANC memorabilia, said business for him in the last week had been brisk. He said he made an average of Sh15,000 per day in merchandise sales from badges, shirts caps and other branded items.

Most residents found it convenient to stay indoors as opposed going to the public designated screening places where they could follow the proceeding on big screens. One of such sites was Orlando Stadium in Soweto, which was virtually empty. Only a handful of mourners were in the 40,000 capacity stadium and police and volunteers had very little to do.